Along a desolate stretch of coastline within Big Island’s Puna District, a group of tidal pools naturally formed long ago by a massive lava flow can be found among the endless stretches of unforgiving cliffs and crashing waves. Known as the Mermaid Ponds These are known collectively as “Mermaid Ponds” by locals, and they serve …
There is simply no better place on Big Island for science nerds than the Imiloa Astronomy Center – or for anyone else looking to learn more about the island’s geology, ancient maritime culture and massive mountaintop space telescopes – than at Imiloa Astronomy Center, located within the University of Hawaii-Hilo’s Science and Technology Park in …
MacKenzie State Park, formally known as MacKenzie State Recreation Area, is a 13-acre windswept grove of towering ironwood trees situated along a stretch of jagged sea cliffs found within Big Island’s volcano-prone Puna District. It’s a rugged, isolated and serenely beautiful forest of rustling trees, outcroppings of moss-covered black rock, well-hidden lava tubes and the …
The roughly six-mile-long road that snakes along West Hawaii Island’s white sand coast from downtown Kona heading south to the small exurb of Keauhou is known as Ali’i Drive (“AH-LEE-EE”). It’s a windswept, often tree-lined route that takes crowds of shoppers, restaurant-goers, sightseers and departing cruise ship passengers past eateries, spas, trinket shops, resorts and …
Ali’i Drive – Shopping, Dining, Swimming and Sightseeing Along Kona’s Seaside Mainstreet Read More »
Life on a Big Island Macadamia Farm: The pickers start early – just after 7:00am. Morning dew clings to the trees planted in their neat rows and the air is still chilly from the night and the all-consuming jungle darkness. Streaks of sunlight filter through the branches and start to burn off the damp, getting …
In Search Of The Perfect Nut – Life On A Big Island Macadamia Farm Read More »
There are few places on Big Island that better illustrate the strange intersection of its perennial volcanic activity and its manmade endeavors than Isaac Hale Beach Park. This is where picnickers and sunbathers lounge around astonishingly close to the edge of intimidating walls of jagged, porous, jet-black lava rock which just a couple of years …
Isaac Hale Beach Park: Have Lunch in a Lava Field Read More »
Few will argue that Kona Farmers Market – found just off of Kamehameha Avenue along the city’s waterfront of windswept, colorful shops – is the best spot on Big Island to sample the tropical cornucopia of strange new fruit that Hawaii has to offer. It is the premiere stop on the island’s ubiquitous, informal “fruit …
Kona Farmers Market – West Hawaii’s Best Fresh Produce and Trinket Shopping Read More »
Hilo Bayfront Park is just a short walk away from its sprawling farmer’s market and neighboring bus station, downtown Hilo and its small colorful shops and leafy, rain-swept sidewalks give way to an incredibly long beach of black sand and gentle lapping waves. The expansive coastline of rough, smooth black lava pebbles appears almost perfectly …
Hilo Bayfront Park – A Paddler’s Delight, and One Of the Island’s Longest Beaches Read More »
There simply is no better place on the Big Island of Hawaii to feast on mounds of buttery, world-renown and locally-grown Hawaiian macadamia nuts than at Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company’s spacious showroom located in the hills above the small West Hawaii port town of Kawaihae. It’s a high-ceiling storefront awash in sunlight filtering through its …
Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company – Home of the Big Island’s Famous Hawaiian Macadamia Nuts Read More »
Few shops on Big Island cater to the sweet tooths of visitors and locals alike quite like Big Island Candies, whose sprawling factory and handsome storefront found off a leafy side-road in the town of Hilo is absolutely packed wall to wall with buttery, sugar-dusted chocolatey delights. The alluring perfume of its fresh-baked shortbreads greets …